'I'm going to play this with my granddaughter' — Mark Hamill on Lego Smart Play and nearly 50 years of Star Wars

Mark Hamill is a Jedi again. No, not that kind of Jedi. Almost 50 years after playing one of the first known Jedis in our universe, Hamill is now a J.E.D.I., a Junior Executive Director of Information for The Lego Group, which is still celebrating the biggest change to the iconic classic brick since its inception. Hamill was fielding calls this week and sharing tips on getting the most out of Lego Smart Play Star Wars sets.

He was kind enough to break from his official duties as a J.E.D.I. to chat with me for TechRadar, and it’s clear he’s a fan of Lego’s next evolution. “I was just bowled over,” Hamill said.

“The sound effects and the lightsaber sounds and R2... I mean, it's phenomenal what they've done because I'm old school. When my boys were little, we played with Lego back in the 80s.” He shared that he started with basic Lego sets, and “it was something that you could do with your kid that everybody enjoyed. And those are golden moments that you'll treasure forever.”

That summation connects right back to Star Wars as well, which Hamill was clear to note was “multigenerational.” “It's the people that were children when it first came out, now are parents themselves, and the way it's passed on is... because it's a family sort of property,” Hamill said before expanding that “there’s something for everyone in it.”

I asked Hamill if, back when he first signed on for Star Wars, he knew that nearly 50 years later it would still be a persistent part of pop culture – “In terms of it becoming a permanent part of pop culture? No way did I imagine that.”

“I felt like it was going to be successful because it had all the elements that I... you know, when I read the script, even without John Williams' music or without the special effects, the script just popped.”

“It had such a great sense of humor, there was drama, it was dark, it was light, it was everything. And I loved it. I thought, you know what, this is going to make enough money that we are going to make the sequel and the sequel to that.”

He was certainly right on that, as Star Wars, the original trilogy, tripled itself into nine films and countless spinoffs, including films and TV shows — animated and live-action — as well as books, comics, and plenty of other forms… including toys. And Hamill’s been a central part of the Star Wars toy universe as well.

“Somebody told me they've made 70 Luke Skywalker Lego sets over the years. I know, I'm more involved in Lego than I am in the actual movies and stuff,” Hamill said. And he’s right, there are a slew of Luke Skywalker minifigures, including an X-Wing pilot, on Tatooine, training with Yoda, original trilogy, new trilogy, older Luke… countless — well, 70. I have plenty of them in my apartment, and I asked him about the first time he saw himself in that form.

“But the first time I saw myself as a minifigure, I said, ‘Why did they make my hair lemon yellow?’ And then Lego came out and they got the hair color right. I said, ‘See, they are paying attention. They're doing their homework.’ The toys they make are much more authentic to the movies. It's a small thing, but it meant something to me,” explained Hamill.

It’s clear he’s still playing with Lego today and sees a strong link – maybe a Force link – between it and Star Wars. “The only thing that limits the children or anyone playing with Lego is their imagination,” Hamill shared on the notion of the multigenerational theme running through Star Wars and extending to Lego.

The notable thing with Smart Play as a whole is that it doesn’t introduce another screen or any barrier between that notion. It’s a classic-looking brick with a mini computer inside that adds flair — sound effects and LED lights — as you play with it.

As I, and countless others who’ve played with Lego or watched Star Wars, know, imagination is the original special effect. And I asked Hamill how Smart Bricks expand on that theme:

“Well, you don't have to say ‘pew-pew-pew’ anymore. They do it for you. It doesn't mean that you could not augment it with your own sounds, but that's what's so incredible, is the way these Smart Bricks bring the sets to life,” noted Hamill.

He then pointed out the Throne Room Duel Smart Play set — “where you can battle with Vader is amazing. And of course, the sounds bring it all to life.”

Given the love for the Throne Room set, I did ask Mark about those duels, and, reflecting on the filming, he was quick to credit the stunt team behind the scenes, especially for the original trilogy’s lightsaber battles.

“I always give credit to our stunt double, Colin Skeaping. I had to do all of my laser duels with Bob Anderson because Dave Prowse couldn't see out of that mask. They built a special mask [for] the stunt coordinator, Peter Diamond. They make you look good, let me tell you, because you practice over and over and over. When I had days off, they still picked me up at 8:00 in the morning, and I worked till 6:00, just rehearsing the lightsaber duels. And it was repetition over and over and over again.”

All of which makes it fitting that the set he keeps returning to is the one built around that very scene.

Of course, he does have a history with the X-Wing: “You're totally free to fly and be wherever you want.” But Hamill was quick to add, “I have to tell you, the throne room set that [Lego] built is fantastic. I mean, it's got the Emperor with the lasers coming out of his hands, it's got the Gamorrean guards flanking him, Luke versus Vader... I mean, it's just great.”

For Hamill, though, the throughline between Star Wars and Lego still comes back to something simpler: imagination.

It’s what powered those original duels — and what continues to define both franchises today. Even with Smart Play adding lights and sound, the core idea remains the same.

“There’s no limits to what you can do,” Hamill said.

And now, nearly 50 years after Star Wars first hit theaters, that sense of play is still being passed down.

Nearing the end of our chat, Hamill was already thinking about returning to the Throne Room set: “I’m going to play this with my granddaughter, but I know she’s going to want me to play Vader. She’ll be Luke.”

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